Letter-file box.



No. 825,068. PATBNTBD JULY s, 1906.

0. MOPIKE. LETTER PILE BOX.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 27, 1904.

*etarra sriirns CURTIS MCPIKE, OF VABASH, INDIANA.

LETTER-FILE BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1906.

Application filed December 27,1904. Serial No.*238.328.

To all whom it nto/y concern:

Be it known that I, CURTIS MCPIKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vabash, in the county of /Vabash and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and uselul Improvements in Letter-File Boxes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to that class of letterfiles usually comprising a box, an index, and an impaling pin or device on which the various leaves and covers of the index are removably held. Different manufacturers of devices of this character follow the custom of placing the perforation for the impaling-pin or index-holder at a different place from that at which it is placed by other manufacturers; but as a rule they all place the perforation at the same side and very near the mid-length or center of that side. The reason for this is probably to prevent their file-boxes from being used in connection with indexes made by other manufacturers, so that a file-box affords a continuing income from the profit on the indexes to the manufacturer who sells the box originally; but whether this be the reason or not the fact remains that the aforesaid custom prevails; and my invention has for its object to provide a box with an indexholder that will readily adapt itself to the indexes of the various manufacturers, and thereby avoid the inconvenience to which the said custom has heretofore subjected the users cf file-boxes of this character.

ith a view to accomplishing this object and certain other objects which will hereinafter appear the invention consists in the features of novelty which will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and then more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a file-box constructed according to my invention with the cover open. Fig. 2 is a detail plan section showing the inipaling device in different positions in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is a detail plan section showing the impaling device in a somewhat different position, and Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of the impaling device.

1 is the file-box, and 2 the index, which is provided, as usual, with a passage 3, constituted by the registering perforations in the various leaves and covers of the index. The

'back or one side of the box, which is usually made of thicker material than the other portions, is mortised or recessed, as shown at 4, and the upright edges of this recess, preferably at points contiguous to the back of the recess, are provided with saw-cuts 5 6, which extend from top to bottom of the recess and, in fact, from top to bottom of the entire back portion of the box, and in these saw-cuts is inserted and retained a thin plate 7, which, however, while being wider than recess 4 is not as wide as the total distance between the extreme outer ends of the saw-cuts 5 6, and consequentlyT it is capable of sliding a limited distance longitudinally in the saw-cuts, as well as capable of being removed entirely from them in a perpendicular direction. Upon this plate 7 is mounted the impalingpin 8 and the guard 9, which prevents the index froin being accidentally removed from the pin. The pin and the guard are preferably composed ef a single wire or red bent inte a continuous form with the end of the guard 9 in the form of a hook 10, with which the pin may be sprung into engagement, the latter being composed of elastic or flexible material. The portion 11 of the said continuous wire or bar, which runs parallel with the pin 8, is secured in any suitable to a slide 12, the face of the slide being ribbed, as shown at 13, to embrace the part 11, which is confined between the slide and the face of plate 7, so that the slide l2 will lie flat against the plate 7 ,.and mayT be retained removably by guide-lips 14, which are struck up from the plate 7 and produce sufficient friction on the slide 12 to prevent the latter from being accidentally removed.

With the described construction it will be seen that should the perforation for the impaling-pin 8 be in the position of the dotted perforations 3, for example, the plate 7 may be slid into the saw-cuts 5 6 longitudinally vuntil the pin 8 registers with perforations 3,

the plate 7 being retained in place by one or more small tacks 15, capable of being readily removed; or, if desired, the mere frictional grip of the saw-cuts 5 6 may be relied on for holding the plate 7. The slide 12, it will be seen, is mounted to one side of the center of the plate 7, so that should the plate be taken out and turned over or turned end for end the position of the pin 8 would be still further removed from the perforation 3, the slide 12 in that event being slipped out of its keepers 14 and turned end for end, so as to bring the guard 9 at the top. The pin S may then be adjusted within a considerable range longi- ICO IIC

`other point on the edge of the index.

` the pin 8 at any point on the edge of the index throughout the extreme of its adjustment, and these extremes may also be considerable and include the entire range of variation in the location of the perforations that would be feasible or practicable, since they must be on the same side and very near the mid-length of that side.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a device for the purpose described, the combination of a box, an impaling device, and a supporting member for the impaling device, said supporting member and impaling device being reversible in respect to each other and both being longitudinally adjustable with respect to the box.

2. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box an index-holding device and a longitudinally-movable plate removably supporting said holding device and recessed in the side of the box.

3. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box an impaling-pin, and a reversible plate uponwhich said impaling-pin is removably mounted, said box having a slot in one side thereof for receiving the edges of said plate, and said slot being longer than the plate whereby the plate may be adjusted longitudinally.

4. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box having a recess in one side and slots in the sides of said recess, a removable plate longitudinally adjustable in said slots across said recess, an impalingpin mounted on said plate in said recess, and means for holding said plate in its adjusted position.

5. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box having an elongated recess in one side thereof and passages leading in opposite directions from said recess, an im paling-pin, a supporting member slidably mounted in said passages across the recess, and an impaling-pin carried by the supporting member and movable in the recess.

6. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box an impaling-pin, and a support for said impaling-pin upon which said pin is removably mounted, and means whereby said support is secured to the box with capability of being turned end for end.

7. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box having a recess in one side, and passages leading in oppositev directions from said recess, a plate adjustable longitudinally of said passages and removable therefrom, said plate extending across said recess, an impaling pin removably mounted on said plate, and-a fastening device engaging the plate and side of the box for holding the former in its adjusted position.

8. In a device for the purpose described the combination of a box, an impaling-pin, a supporting-plate for said impaling-pin, ears or lips struck out from said plate, a slide to which said impaling-pin is secured adapted to slip between said ears and plate whereby the slide will be held in position, and means whereby said plate is held on the box with capability of being turned end for end, said slide being mounted on the plate to one side of its mid-length.

CURTIS yMCPIKE.

Witnesses:

J. D. CONNER, Jr., G. BANIsTEn. 

